Louis Bonaparte
Louis Bonaparte entered the world on the 2nd of September 1778 in Ajaccio, Corsica. This island had been conquered by France less than a decade before his birth. He was the fifth surviving child and fourth son of Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Ramolino. Eight children lived past infancy within this large family unit. His older brothers included Joseph, Napoleon, Lucien, and Elisa. Younger siblings followed with Pauline, Caroline, and Jérôme. Louis's godparents were Mr de Marbeuf, the governor of the island, and Bertrand de Boucheporn, wife of the intendant. The couple had befriended Letizia and her husband Carlo. Frédéric Masson documented these early connections in his 1907 work Napoleon dans sa jeunesse.
Louis served with Napoleon during the French campaign in Egypt and Syria. Thanks to his brother, he received a commission in the French Military. He rose to Lieutenant in the 4th Artillery Regiment quickly. From there he became Aide de Camp on Napoleon's staff. During the Italian Campaign, Napoleon recommended Louis to Carnot. Consequently, Louis was made a captain. He later became a General by the age of 25. He felt that he had risen too high in too short a time. Upon returning to France, he joined Napoleon's plot to overthrow the Directory. This military trajectory depended entirely on the patronage of his elder sibling.
Napoleon arranged for a marriage between Louis and Hortense de Beauharnais on the 4th of January 1802. Hortense was the daughter of Empress Josephine, making her Napoleon's stepdaughter. She was opposed to the union at first. Her mother persuaded her to marry Louis for the sake of the family. The marriage was forced upon them and remained loveless. They supposedly consummated it and interacted often enough to produce three sons. As a rule, the Bonapartes loathed the Beauharnaises except for Napoleon. Hortense certainly had extra-marital lovers during this period. Their relationship never improved despite shared parenthood.
Napoleon I replaced the Batavian Republic with the Kingdom of Holland on the 5th of June 1806. He placed Louis on the throne as king. Napoleon intended for his brother to be little more than a French prefect of Holland. However, Louis tried to be a responsible and independent ruler. To endear himself to his adopted country, he learned the Dutch language. He called himself Lodewijk I and declared himself Dutch rather than French. Allegedly, his initial Dutch was so poor that he told people he was the Konijn van 'Olland instead of Koning van Holland. His sincere effort to learn Dutch earned him respect from his subjects. He even forced his court to speak only Dutch.
Louis could never settle on the location of his capital city while in Holland. He changed capitals over a dozen times trying Amsterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht. On one occasion after visiting a wealthy merchant's home, he had the owner evicted to take up residence there. Then Louis moved again after seven weeks. Two major tragedies occurred during his reign: an explosion of gunpowder in Leiden in 1807 and a flood in 1809. In both instances, Louis personally oversaw local relief efforts. These actions helped earn him the title of Louis the Good. Napoleon commented that when they say some king is good, it means he has failed in his rule.
Napoleon wanted to reduce the value of French loans from Dutch investors by two-thirds. This created a serious economic blow to the Netherlands. As Napoleon prepared for invasion of Russia, he demanded troops from the entire region under his control. Louis refused point-blank to provide these soldiers. Napoleon then accused Louis of putting Dutch interests above those of France. The British landed an army of 40,000 in 1809 attempting to capture Antwerp and Flushing. France sent 80,000 militiamen commanded by Maréchal d'Empire Bernadotte to repel the invasion. On the 1st of July 1810, Louis abdicated in favour of his second son. He fled from Haarlem on 2/the 3rd of July and settled in Austria. Oudinot invaded Holland on the 4th of July.
After his abdication, Louis assumed the title of Count of Saint-Leu. This referenced his property at Saint-Leu-la-Forêt near Paris. Between 1811 and 1813, he found refuge in Graz where he turned to writing and poetry. He wrote to Napoleon after the latter's defeat in Russia requesting that the Dutch throne be restored. Napoleon refused this request. King William I denied him visits to the Netherlands several times. King William II allowed a visit in 1840. Some people found out it was their former king during this trip. A cheering crowd gathered under the window of his hotel room. Louis died from stroke on the 25th of July 1846 in Livorno. His youngest son later established the Second French Empire as Emperor Napoleon III.
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Common questions
When and where was Louis Bonaparte born?
Louis Bonaparte entered the world on the 2nd of September 1778 in Ajaccio, Corsica. This island had been conquered by France less than a decade before his birth.
Who were the parents of Louis Bonaparte?
Louis Bonaparte was the fifth surviving child and fourth son of Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Ramolino. Eight children lived past infancy within this large family unit.
What dates did Louis Bonaparte reign as King of Holland?
Napoleon I replaced the Batavian Republic with the Kingdom of Holland on the 5th of June 1806 and placed Louis on the throne. On the 1st of July 1810, Louis abdicated in favour of his second son.
Why did Louis Bonaparte refuse to provide troops for Napoleon's invasion of Russia?
Napoleon demanded troops from the entire region under his control while preparing for the invasion of Russia. Louis refused point-blank to provide these soldiers because he put Dutch interests above those of France.
When did Louis Bonaparte die and where did he pass away?
Louis died from stroke on the 25th of July 1846 in Livorno. He had previously fled from Haarlem on the 3rd of July 1810 and settled in Austria after abdicating.